Clinton in Seattle: 'Naysayers, misogynists’ defeat women

Connelly on Hillary: Astute analysis of everything but herself

Updated 12:16 pm, Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Hillary Clinton's "What Happened" is breaking sales records.

Media: Money

Hillary Rodham Clinton snatched defeat from jaws of victory in the 2016 presidential election, but the intensely disciplined candidate struggled to her feet, wrote a book called "What Happened," embarked on a nationwide book-selling tour which is winding up in the Northwest.

The former Secretary of State played to an adoring audience Monday night at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, and took questions from an admiring moderator, writer Anne Lamott. She will sign copies of "What Happened" at Elliott Bay Books on Tuesday morning.

Clinton laid blame largely on what she described as the "naysayers, misogynists and sexists" in American life who demean and defeat women. It was an evening of astute analysis, from a vastly informed politician, but limited in introspection with little self-criticism.

At no point did the audience hear, "I should have gone to Green Bay instead of holding those fundraisers in the Hamptons." Or any explanation of how Democrats allowed their blue collar base to decamp to Donald Trump.

Clinton did, however, deliver a spot-on attack on the double standard that persists toward women in American public life.

"For men, likability and success go hand in hand: For women it is the exact opposite," said Clinton, adding a moment later: "Women are seen favorably when we advocate for others, and unfavorably when we advocate for ourselves."

Hillary Clinton "I am not going anywhere except right into the middle of the debate." Click through for a look back at the Clintons in the Northwest.

Hillary Clinton "I am not going anywhere except right into the middle of the debate." Click through for a look back at the Clintons in the Northwest.

Image 2 of 25

Take a look at the Clintons’ 25-year on-again, off-again love affair with the Northwest.

Take a look at the Clintons’ 25-year on-again, off-again love affair with the Northwest.

Photo: Greg Gibson/AP/seattlepi.com, Associated Press

Image 3 of 25

Bill Clinton came back to the Northwest 13 times during his presidency. He used Blake Island and the University of British Columbia for Asia-Pacific summitry, helped push a government van out of the mud, and gave gray hairs to Secret Service agents by finding unsecured rope lines after giant Pike Place Market rallies. less

Bill Clinton came back to the Northwest 13 times during his presidency. He used Blake Island and the University of British Columbia for Asia-Pacific summitry, helped push a government van out of the mud, and ... more

Photo: Grant M. Haller/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Image 4 of 25

The 42nd president showed off political skills that led a biographer to title his book, "The Natural." Using a microphone on his bus to greet bystanders while leaving Longview, Clinton spotted a Black Labrador sitting beside the road. He greeted the dog, saying: "Thank you for coming." less

The 42nd president showed off political skills that led a biographer to title his book, "The Natural." Using a microphone on his bus to greet bystanders while leaving Longview, Clinton spotted a Black Labrador ... more

Photo: LUKE FRAZZA, AFP/Getty Images

Image 5 of 25

Image 6 of 25

Hillary Clinton has proven a very different politician and has experienced difficulties here, almost from the get-go. She used Seattle as kickoff point for a 1994 health care reform caravan, but confronted a hostile crowd turned out by right-wing radio talk show hosts. An audible cry, "Kill the bitch!", was heard in the first lady's car as it drove through the Westin Hotel garage. less

Hillary Clinton has proven a very different politician and has experienced difficulties here, almost from the get-go. She used Seattle as kickoff point for a 1994 health care reform caravan, but confronted a ... more

Photo: MLADEN ANTONOV, Getty Images

Image 7 of 25

The Clintons' long courtship of Washington went on the rocks in 2008, as Barack Obama buried Hillary Clinton in our Democratic precinct caucuses. She would feel "the Bern" eight years later as Bernie Sanders drew crowds of a size that once greeted Bill Clinton. Sanders took more than 72 percent of the caucus vote. less

The Clintons' long courtship of Washington went on the rocks in 2008, as Barack Obama buried Hillary Clinton in our Democratic precinct caucuses. She would feel "the Bern" eight years later as Bernie Sanders ... more

Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM

Image 8 of 25

Bill Clinton engaged and charmed, to the end of his presidency. His motorcade headed the wrong way up 4th Avenue for a spontaneous 2000 drop-in at a Human Rights Campaign dinner. A shout came out of the crowd: "Nice ass." Clinton beamed. He then connected in a speech on ending LGBT discrimination, this from the guy who had signed the Defense of Marriage Act.

Bill Clinton engaged and charmed, to the end of his presidency. His motorcade headed the wrong way up 4th Avenue for a spontaneous 2000 drop-in at a Human Rights Campaign dinner. A shout came out of the crowd:

Hillary Clinton comes calling mainly for dinners with wealthy supporters. She held just one public event, a rally at Rainier Beach High School, before the 2016 caucuses. The visit's main purpose was a dinner for which guests paid as much as $50,000. less

Hillary Clinton comes calling mainly for dinners with wealthy supporters. She held just one public event, a rally at Rainier Beach High School, before the 2016 caucuses. The visit's main purpose was a dinner ... more

Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM

Image 10 of 25

Image 11 of 25

She is not naturally outgoing. A few years back, she was guest at a dinner hosted by Seattle shipping executive Stan Barer and wife Alta. A knot of about 25 Laurelhurst neighbors gathered across the street -- people walking dogs, teenagers cracking jokes, and a prominent, pontificating Seattle lawyer. Hillary did not give them so much as a New York minute. She emerged from the fundraiser, hopped into the front seat of a van, with the driver gunning it up the hill. The letdown on East Laurelhurst Drive was palpable. less

She is not naturally outgoing. A few years back, she was guest at a dinner hosted by Seattle shipping executive Stan Barer and wife Alta. A knot of about 25 Laurelhurst neighbors gathered across the street -- ... more

Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM

Image 12 of 25

The Clintons share one central attribute: Both are policy wonks, a link between the two that cannot be severed. An inebriated Boris Yeltsin kept referring to "my friend Beeeel" during a summit in Vancouver. The Russian president was "indisposed" when it came time for a closing news conference with Russian journalists. Clinton substituted effortlessly, wowing reporters with description and praise of Shostakovich's 14th Symphony. less

The Clintons share one central attribute: Both are policy wonks, a link between the two that cannot be severed. An inebriated Boris Yeltsin kept referring to "my friend Beeeel" during a summit in Vancouver. The ... more

Photo: JIM MCKNIGHT

Image 13 of 25

Bill Clinton didn't just drop in. Air Force One returned to where it was built as Clinton used Boeing's Everett plant for a daylong meeting with airline CEOs. Clinton did full-day round tables, in 1993 on how to revive the Northwest's forest industry, and two years later on spurring Pacific Rim exports. less

Bill Clinton didn't just drop in. Air Force One returned to where it was built as Clinton used Boeing's Everett plant for a daylong meeting with airline CEOs. Clinton did full-day round tables, in 1993 on how ... more

Photo: Joshua Trujillo, Seattlepi.com

Image 14 of 25

Hillary Clinton shows on occasion that she can go far beyond the careful, vetted phrases of her stump speeches. As a New York senator, she allowed a Seattle scribe (this reporter) to join in a lengthy phone session with NY journalists. She had been touring climate-impacted Arctic coastal villages. She instantly found her bearings on the late-forming icepack and lack of protection from powerful storms off the Bering Sea. less

Hillary Clinton shows on occasion that she can go far beyond the careful, vetted phrases of her stump speeches. As a New York senator, she allowed a Seattle scribe (this reporter) to join in a lengthy phone ... more

What was remarkable came when Clinton transposed the Arctic danger to the coasts of Long Island and Staten Island. She talked of the dangers of rising ocean levels and devastating storm surges, years before the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. less

What was remarkable came when Clinton transposed the Arctic danger to the coasts of Long Island and Staten Island. She talked of the dangers of rising ocean levels and devastating storm surges, years ... more

Photo: Craig Ruttle, Associated Press

Image 18 of 25

The early courtship by Bill Clinton had a purpose. With the South slipping away, Democrats needed 73 electoral votes from West Coast ("Left Coast" to Wall Street Journal editorialists) to regain the presidency. Bill Clinton stumped in Spokane, and made his promise of a forest summit in Southwest Oregon. less

The early courtship by Bill Clinton had a purpose. With the South slipping away, Democrats needed 73 electoral votes from West Coast ("Left Coast" to Wall Street Journal editorialists) to regain the presidency. ... more

Photo: Tyler Tjomsland, Associated Press

Image 19 of 25

He won only to see Democrats suffer devastating losses in the 1994 mid-term elections. Washington was, in Newt Gingrich's words, "ground zero" of the Republicans' House takeover. The GOP picked up six House seats, with House Speaker Tom Foley defeated in an Eastern Washington district he had held for 30 years. less

He won only to see Democrats suffer devastating losses in the 1994 mid-term elections. Washington was, in Newt Gingrich's words, "ground zero" of the Republicans' House takeover. The GOP picked up six House ... more

Photo: JEFF T. GREEN, Associated Press

Image 20 of 25

Image 21 of 25

Clinton put it back together by coming here -- often. He twice inspected flood damage at Cougar in Southwest Washington, helping rescue a van. He spent hours at a worker retraining program at Shoreline Community College. He (and Al Gore) did a bus trip from Seattle to Portland, even attracting a big crowd in the Republican bastion of Lewis County. less

Clinton put it back together by coming here -- often. He twice inspected flood damage at Cougar in Southwest Washington, helping rescue a van. He spent hours at a worker retraining program at Shoreline ... more

Image 22 of 25

The picture in 2016 is far different. The "Left Coast" is now solidly Democratic, although Republican nominee Donald Trump toys with making a run of it. He scrubbed an Aug. 31st visit. Hillary Clinton can take Washington's 12 electoral votes for granted, and that is exactly what she is doing -- to a point. less

The picture in 2016 is far different. The "Left Coast" is now solidly Democratic, although Republican nominee Donald Trump toys with making a run of it. He scrubbed an Aug. 31st visit. Hillary Clinton can take ... more

Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM

Image 23 of 25

Its technology economy has propelled the Evergreen State to
A-minus status as a place for fundraising -- central in the political world
created by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision. Hence, both
the Clintons and daughter Chelsea have raised money at private fundraisers. A
succession of surrogates -- from campaign manager Robby Mook to Vice
Presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine -- swing through for non-public events.

Its technology economy has propelled the Evergreen State to A-minus status as a place for fundraising -- central in the political world created by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision.

The silver anniversary of the Clintons' courtship lacks the charm, openness and spontaneity of the 1990s. The ever-visible Bill Clinton has been supplanted by a largely inaccessible Hillary Clinton. The big political rallies at the Pike Place Market have been supplanted by small gatherings in the homes of multimillionaires. Glowing Facebook posts by those who "pay to play" indicate they are having a wonderful time for their money. less

The silver anniversary of the Clintons' courtship lacks the charm, openness and spontaneity of the 1990s. The ever-visible Bill Clinton has been supplanted by a largely inaccessible Hillary Clinton. The big ... more

Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press

Image 25 of 25

Clinton in Seattle: 'Naysayers, misogynists’ defeat women

1 / 25

Back to Gallery

Adjectives such as "ambitious" and "calculating," flattering when attached to men, become ways of damning women.

The "naysayers, etc.," spurred on by a misogynist in the White House, have fixed on new targets since her defeat, Clinton argued. She identified Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, citing the occasion in which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped Warren as she quoted Coretta Scott King and ordered her off the Senate floor. (Warren was using the King quote in arguing against the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.)

"The forces that were at work in the 2016 election are still with us," Clinton said. They will "go after women in ways that are personal and really vicious," Clinton added. "It has gotten more intense due to social media."

Clinton did not measure its impact, but described Russia's intense intervention in the 2016 election. The intervention was born at the top: Clinton believes Russia's President Vladimir Putin is intent on destabilizing democratic societies.

Intervention from Russia is a "clear and present danger" to American democracy, Clinton argued, with the Russians "playing everything they can" to destabilize this country.

The autocrat in the Kremlin has a pupil in the White House. "Trump doesn't just like Putin, he wants to be like Putin," Clinton said.

If not willing to elaborate on her shortcomings as a candidate -- at least not before folks who gave her a roaring, standing ovation -- Clinton applied her political smarts to currents that need correcting.

There is, she argued, "no better example of rigging an election than massive voter suppression." Clinton spoke on the eve of an Alabama Senate election. A Republican legislature voted in 2014 to require a voter ID with photo. Then, however, the state closed driver registration offices across the state's "black belt" where voters could get the identification.

The identification laws are "a blast out of the Jim Crow past," Clinton argued.

"There is no such thing as an 'alternative fact,"" Clinton added, going into a lengthy discourse on how the Internet has been used to peddle false information. Clinton cited herself as Exhibit A, leaving the State Department in 2013 with a strong approval rating, and watching it erode away with manipulation of fake scandals by the political right.

Again, however, there was no acknowledgment of the clumsiness of the Clinton campaign, supposedly a model of the technological advances of politics. The Russians were able to hack the emails of campaign chairman John Podesta.

"I am proud of the campaign we ran," Clinton said at the beginning of her appearance.

A year into the Trump presidency, "Are we now in a constitutional crisis?" asked Lamott.

Clinton worked around the question. Americans have "reason to be worried," she said, with multiple "ethical and legal breaches" by nabobs in the Trump White House. The Republicans are rushing to enact a tax cut that "transfers wealth to the richest of the rich."

Still, Clinton looks to decent voices in the Republican Party to stabilize the republic.

"I am hoping we avoid a constitutional crisis because enough Republicans will put country over party, and that will not happen."

Almost lost, in talk of Russians and vote suppression, was a bit of advice to the political left. It is particularly germane in Seattle, a city whose political spectrum now goes from left-liberal to socialist. Bernie Sanders routed Clinton in the state's 2016 precinct caucuses.

Incrementalism works, Clinton argued. "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good," Clinton advised. There will be times when you cannot get the whole pie, or even half of the pie.

"Sometimes you just get a slice," she said.

In such circumstances, she advised, take what you get but then soldier on.

And that is what Hillary Clinton is doing.

"I am not going anywhere except right in the middle of the debate," she said. The audience roared its approval.

Columnist Joel Connelly has written about politics for the P-I since 1973.